Tag Archives: REAL ID

The Game Continues

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At least 80 percent of Americans support the SAVE America Act that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote and a picture id to vote. The Senate, however, does not seem to be able to pass the bill.

On Wednesday, The Epoch Times posted an article about one aspect of the bill that has not gotten a lot of attention. It’s something positive for the American people, but may explain why the Senate does not want to pass the bill.

The article reports:

The bill, which passed the House in February but got stuck in the Senate, would require new voter registrants to present proof of citizenship, such as a passport, a REAL ID, or birth certificate. It’s been much touted by Republicans as a necessary bulwark against voter fraud. Democrats have called it an attempt at voter suppression.

The bill would codify that the attorney general can sue officials that register voters without the citizenship check. Yet the question has remained what would happen if the attorney general refuses to enforce it.

The bill attempts to solve that issue by including a private right of action. It means that private citizens could also file lawsuits based on violations of the law.

“Private right of action is vital,” according to Hans von Spakovsky, election law expert and former member of the Federal Election Commission currently at the Advancing American Freedom think tank.

“Democrat administrations will refuse to enforce it at all, and particularly not against blue states. Private parties will be forced to do that,” he told The Epoch Times in a text message.

The caveat is the right to sue is written as an amendment of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which says that only a person “aggrieved by a violation” can sue and only if the violation occurred within 30 days before a federal election. Otherwise, the person needs to first notify the top election official in the state and then sue only if the state fails to address the violation for some time—120 or 20 days, depending on how close to an election.

The games the Senate is playing are unacceptable. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has stated that he does not have enough Republican votes to support even a talking filibuster which would make the Democrats go on the record with their objections. If the Save America Act does not pass, every Senator currently serving in Congress should be voted out of office as soon as possible. The current Senate has chosen not to represent the wishes of the American voters.

A Reminder

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On December 31, The Western Journal posted an article reminding Americans that beginning on May 7, 2025, Americans will need a REAL ID-compliant ID to board a domestic flight, visit certain federal facilities or enter a nuclear power plant.

The article reports:

“Come early May, you will need a REAL ID-compliant ID (which you may already have) to board a domestic flight. It will also be necessary if you are visiting certain federal facilities or entering a nuclear power plant,” the service reported.

“Once the REAL ID requirement kicks in, federal agencies like TSA will be prohibited from accepting state-issued IDs that do not meet the necessary standards.”

At this point, they noted, “all states must at least require proof of your legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, legal residency, and two forms verifying your address before issuing a driver’s license or ID card.”

“Thankfully, many states have been issuing REAL ID-compliant IDs for years, which means there is a good chance you already have one. The quickest way to tell is by looking at your driver’s license or state-issued ID: if there is a star — it will be either black or gold, appear as a star or a cutout — your ID is a REAL ID.”

If you opt out of the program, you’ll be issued a license with “Federal Limits Apply” on it.

“As of the end of December, the REAL ID rules will take effect on May 7, 2025. Once the deadline passes, if you do not have a REAL ID, you may need to provide another form of identification, like a U.S. passport or military ID, to board a plane,” Nexstar noted.

The article notes:

Of course, as we approach a quarter of a century since 9/11, we know that federalizing ID standards is more or less pointless; the weak point in the system with those terrorist attacks was a series of missed red flags by the same team of bureaucrats we’re now entrusting to federalize what was once a state matter, the issuance of driver’s licenses.

It’s impossible to believe that legislation so unwieldy that it will be implemented only 17 years after it was supposed to has actually stopped an attack — or done anything, period, aside from create new, fresh levels of bureaucracy for people to navigate.

Please follow the link to read the story of an American citizen who had trouble getting a real ID because his parents did not file the proper paperwork at the time of his birth.